From November 4th to November 8th 2024, the Independent Music Coalition of Japan (IMCJ) welcomed a delegation from Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ) for a trade mission exploring both the Japanese music market and Japanese culture. This trade mission was made possible with generous funding from the Asia-New Zealand Foundation.

The delegation was comprised of seven top industry professionals from the New Zealand independent music market including: Dylan Pellett (General Manager at IMNZ), Cath Andersen (Chief Executive at NZ Music Commission), Matthew Crawley (CEO of Strange News), Lisa Paris (CEO of The Label (PR), Head of Independent Labels Rhythmethod Distribution & Owner Marbecks Record Store), Huia Hamon (Artist, CEO Hūhā Music/Director Kog/co-chair MPGNZ, Mamas in Music Ao/NZ), Gareth Shute (CEO of Lil Chief Records), and Bianca Bailey (Director of CubaDupa Festival). They were accompanied by Craig Cooper (Director of Arts at the Asia New Zealand Foundation).

The week prior to arriving in Japan, the delegation participated in the WINHUB IMNZ x IMCJ Online Matching Event on October 30th, hosted by WIN. After hearing market presentations delivered by Dylan Pellett for IMNZ and Brendan Gaffney for IMCJ, delegates engaged in online speed-meetings with representatives from IMCJ member organizations KSR, ILCJ, Pony Canyon, Rainbow Entertainment, and HIP LAND Music. This set the stage for productive in-person meetings and office visits over the course of the following week.

After arriving in Japan on November 4th (Mon.), the delegation explored various cultural sites in Tokyo including the Digital Art Museum and Meiji-jingu.

On the morning of November 5th (Tues.), the delegation made an office visit to domestic major label and esteemed entertainment company Pony Canyon, where they heard about Pony Canyon`s global expansion strategy and artist roster, in addition to gleaning general information on the state of digital music in the Japanese market.

In the afternoon, the delegation members were invited as special guests to a joint seminar between IMCJ and metadata solutions provider OpenPlay in Shibuya. In the seminar, OpenPlay provided a detailed demonstration of its platform and took questions from the audience. Following this, the delegation was able to further meet IMCJ members and partners during a short networking session, including MERLIN Japan and Kanjian Music. In the evening, they attended the first day of the TIMM showcase at Spotify O-East with performances by KORESAWA, ChoQMay and FRUITS ZIPPER. 



On the morning of November 6th (Wed.), the delegation received an etiquette lesson on Japanese manners and customs from certified etiquette coach Hiroko Hirose, and continued the day by attending TIMM seminars and the second day of the TIMM showcase at Spotify O-East with performances by imase, WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA, Novelbright and Billyrrom.

Before the final day of TIMM on November 7th (Thur.), the delegation made an office visit to Rainbow Entertainment, where they heard about the company’s history and artist roster and discussed possibilities for bilateral collaborations.

After attending the final day of TIMM seminars, the delegation met with Crypton Future Media CEO Hiroyuki Itoh to learn about vocaloid music and Crypton`s company profile, including the work of prolific vocaloid artist Hatsune Miku. Additionally, Mr. Itoh introduced his other company, AI-driven music metadata and recommendation platform OngaLab, to the delegation and invited them to attend Hatsune Miku`s upcoming concert in Auckland on November 15th!

The trade mission ended with a reception on the morning of November 8th at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, where participants from both IMNZ and IMCJ were warmly welcomed by Ambassador Hamish Cooper, and Trade Commissioner – Japan Kylie Archer.

While observing the beautiful ‘Te Haeata Whero’ (‘the red dawn’) Kūwaha (`doorway`) displayed in the center of the embassy grounds, the Japanese delegation remarked at the similarities in symbolism and structure to a torii gate. The Ambassador explained its significance as a symbolic doorway between Japan and Aotearoa New Zealand – the perfect conclusion of a successful trade mission between the two nations!